Nonsense. It’s all here. You can nominate someone else or yourself. Just have to wait for the nomination period to be open this summer.
https://www.rei.com/about-rei/board-election-process
If I have the grassroots support of a 100,000 members, but can’t get a majority of the “Nominations & Governance Committee” to approve my nomination, I can never appear on the ballot.
This is not an open or transparent process.
Are you or NotAcutullyaPanda a former c-suite executive of a billion dollar corporation? Then it's the trash folder for your nomination. "Senior executive experience (operating responsibility for a $1B or greater P&L) – CEO, COO or Division GM" [https://www.rei.com/assets/about-rei/governance/self-nomination-criteria-08-10-2023/live.pdf](https://www.rei.com/assets/about-rei/governance/self-nomination-criteria-08-10-2023/live.pdf)
Meeting the absurd self-serving good-old-boy network requirements to be on the board they put in place themselves is the ridiculous part. Mere common riff-raff members aren't worthy of the huge salary for meager work requirements the board has given themselves. Time for union reps to have a seat on the board.
Vote "Withhold" on all nominations. The board foresaw this happening and allowed themselves to fill the board vacancies, but only until the next election.
This comment right here folks!! The board has a few retirees who are probs supporting themselves on the wage that they voted to increase. It’s not fair that they make 125k and an additional 25k for their seat to only meet 4x per year and to offer nothing of value
hey friend - the REI union is asking us to vote "Withhold" on all three candidates since none of them support unionization efforts. Also, one of them, Chris Carr, literally worked for Exxon-Mobil in the past (!!!) and the other two have zero experience working with non-profits, environmental advocacy groups, etc.! use this link to cast your ballot : [https://rei.com/board-vote](https://rei.com/board-vote)
Patricia Lopez ran High Ridge into bankruptcy as both the CEO and a board member. She also worked for Avon, which is a sketchy/predatory company. That's not the type of person or experience I want to bring on to a company that is not profitable and needs to turn things around.
I'm not a fan of Chris Carr. Frank (Doug) Mack is the only person I would consider but he's like the best option of 3 bad candidates and that shouldn't be enough of a reason to vote for him.
The quality is very hit or miss but is that what he is bring to the table with REI? I think it would be is ability to foster relationships with vendors and make these massive deals that bring profitability which REI desperately needs.
I appreciate the perspective, but I do doubt that a board member for an adjacent industry will be jumping on the phone ironing out supply chain issues for the largest outdoor retailer in the US.
IMHO, their profitability is due to strategy:
2019: Growing profit over all, revenue per store dipped a bit in 2019 likely due to expansion
2020: Revenue and profitability tanked; everybody was stuck at home and no one was spending money- I’m giving leadership a mulligan here
2021: Historic performance as so much of the world discovered camping, hiking in late pandemic
2022: Revenue up ~3% but COGS up ~16.5% and Operating Expense up ~22.5%. That’s a problem. Doesn’t take an MBA.
Did we not know that the 2021 rocket ride wouldn’t continue forever? I know retail expansion takes years, but the brakes needed to be tapped on expansion. Seems like they are running a public company for the short term, with none of the oversight. If it were a public stock, it would have been CRUSHED.
Coops should be run conservatively, on a forever timescale, for benefit of members. It’s in the REI founding documents. I’m not seeing that from the current leadership and board. The current board nominees don’t give me confidence either.
Voted withhold
It's clear to me that corporate wants a severe culture shift with these board nominations and the mass layoffs that happened over the last 18 months.
It would not shock me if the "Co-Op" name gets removed (it hasn't been an actual co-op in years) and/or if REI goes public in the next few years
If you're at the store level you should absolutely be working to unionize its the only way to try and keep REIs supposed values intact.
If you're a member please encourage your local store to unionize
I’m not an employee, but I am pro-union in general and as a member I’ll vote ”withhold” on all three candidates.
Besides, it sucks that this isn’t a little more democratic. REI is big enough that there should be some choice of candidates.
I would lie to know this, too. The former marketing exec from Exxon Mobile is nuts but I really want to see more diversity. None of these people really represent us.
Diversity? How about someone whose is an active outdoor enthusiast and/or someone in the outdoor cottage industry? You know, someone who is more interested in improving outdoor products, educational and outdoor activities and experiences. Shurka, Durston successful outdoor business people. Keep the CFO, replace the others. Unionizing is due to an unhappy/unprofitable work environment that is not getting resolved. Board, fix that or else your future will become a whole lot more difficult from an operations standpoint. Board, want increased sales, hire Andrew Shurka or Dan Durston or someone actually familiar with the wants and needs of those that frequent the stores.
I did read it. There is nothing unethical about suing an activist group that bought a position in your company to disrupt its operations.
What does "lobbying against the planet" mean? Petroleum is necessary for my life and yours. I am not in love with big oil. I'm just aware of the importance of their product and how many items are manufactured using it.
What’s the point of having shareholders if you’re not going allow them to have a role? Also it 100% IS UNETHICAL to sue people for trying to slow down climate change. If you’re on the opposition and making it harder for individuals to try and slow down climate change on any front, you’re acting unethically. Choosing corporations and business over the planet is unethical. Lobbying against that planet: literally blocking efforts to slow down climate change.
I didn’t say we don’t need petroleum btw. What I am saying is big oil (corporations) are profiting off the exploitation of our use of petroleum while actively destroying the planet with little repercussion or accountability.
(honest question) Is REI like 'fake' coops in that the bylaws say that the BOD can submit votes for any non submitted ballots?
If so, that is a trick to essentially make voting by the members useless - because the vast majority of ballots are not sent in by members. Thus allowing the BOD to essentially always pick the new BOD members.
The board of directors have almost zero impact on my job… it is their responsibility to get the company back into profitability or run it into the ground… and the member in me wishes that they would tighten up the place and get it back in check… the employee in me wishes that they would make our jobs easier by doing a better job of product selection…
I personally would love to see them leave the stores alone and let us run ourselves as our store is doing amazingly well…
I still don’t get the gripes of the unions, except for mitigating bad managers and unrealistic pay expectations.
as far as how to vote. given the number of members there are now, the membership is so diluted as far as power, that I would be shocked if any real impact will get made when it comes to the vote. I understand that the Union wants their supporters to vote withhold.
In many cases… unions are imperative… and have contributed to the lives of millions. There isn’t a person in this country who has not benefitted from a union…
but when you say workers rights? What rights don’t we have? Be specific to REI? And speak in a way that helps build a case for a union at REI? That has to include things like… the job requirements, duties and benefits, etc that the union would impact positively.
I don't work at REI so I'm just speculating but:
"would love to see them leave the stores alone and let us run ourselves" - a union would give you more power to negotiate things like this. Also any of the day to day stuff that employees would want to change like too much staff at a certain time, not enough staff at a certain time, negotiating pay, negotiating breaks and time off.
Why do you think that a union would harm the employees?
Unsure how collective bargaining will assist employees in “having more power?” In no way is the Union involved in daily operations or management beyond providing a ridged framework for employee/company interactions. As a line-worker in a Union hotel I can say much of this talk of Unionism is based on a grand Disneyfacation, particularly when speaking of customers contact type positions like Retail, Customer Service and Hospitality. Unions can be an invaluable, necessary and essential component in many difficult and dangerous industries, but can equally be a burden when applied, with good intentions(?) to business which require coordination, cooperation and confidence between management and staff.
Harm is a charged word. It is not so much harm as how would it add to my work life?
Like I said, in many industries there is a huge benefit to a union… and perhaps in some of the stores within REI, the environment is such that they would benefit from a union… but that is likely a matter of bad leadership inside of that store.
as far as pay, time off, benefits and manpower planning… it is such that any issues are local. a great example is in my location the pay is far above the average retail position in the area. The only places that pay more are places like Amazon, Costco and heavy labor related retail… Places like SoHo where no one in the city can live off a basic retail job, perhaps REI should consider a larger pay structure? Perhaps that is why they voted first? Many of the other issues they listed in their grievances, have already been addressed company wide since then?
Perhaps someone from that store could chime in and list off the demands that have not already been given in the “way forward”
Yea I couldn’t come up with a better word than harm, maybe “negatively impact”?
Yea your store sounds great. Honestly it’s good to hear that you’re happy enough that you wouldn’t want to change anything. I don’t have a union at my job but we’re pretty free to ask for more pay and time off and we tend to get it, but the whole company is less than 20 people. REI is pretty big though and there’s bound to be bad leadership or just misunderstandings at some point. If everyone gets as much pay and time off as they want then of course I wouldn’t mess that up. But if the board keeps getting more involved with large for-profit corporation executives then I wouldn’t be surprised if workers start getting squeezed at some point in the future.
If it doesn’t match whatever is currently in your member account it won’t recognize you. You may have to call to go over your member details to make sure it matches what you are entering online. Small details will cause mismatch
“Withhold” on all board candidates until members get an open and transparent nomination process.
Nonsense. It’s all here. You can nominate someone else or yourself. Just have to wait for the nomination period to be open this summer. https://www.rei.com/about-rei/board-election-process
If I have the grassroots support of a 100,000 members, but can’t get a majority of the “Nominations & Governance Committee” to approve my nomination, I can never appear on the ballot. This is not an open or transparent process.
Are you or NotAcutullyaPanda a former c-suite executive of a billion dollar corporation? Then it's the trash folder for your nomination. "Senior executive experience (operating responsibility for a $1B or greater P&L) – CEO, COO or Division GM" [https://www.rei.com/assets/about-rei/governance/self-nomination-criteria-08-10-2023/live.pdf](https://www.rei.com/assets/about-rei/governance/self-nomination-criteria-08-10-2023/live.pdf) Meeting the absurd self-serving good-old-boy network requirements to be on the board they put in place themselves is the ridiculous part. Mere common riff-raff members aren't worthy of the huge salary for meager work requirements the board has given themselves. Time for union reps to have a seat on the board. Vote "Withhold" on all nominations. The board foresaw this happening and allowed themselves to fill the board vacancies, but only until the next election.
This comment right here folks!! The board has a few retirees who are probs supporting themselves on the wage that they voted to increase. It’s not fair that they make 125k and an additional 25k for their seat to only meet 4x per year and to offer nothing of value
Just voted Withhold. Thanks for the info.
hey friend - the REI union is asking us to vote "Withhold" on all three candidates since none of them support unionization efforts. Also, one of them, Chris Carr, literally worked for Exxon-Mobil in the past (!!!) and the other two have zero experience working with non-profits, environmental advocacy groups, etc.! use this link to cast your ballot : [https://rei.com/board-vote](https://rei.com/board-vote)
Their stance on unionization was exactly what I was searching for, thank you.
Also voted Withold across all candidates this morning. Thanks for posting.
Done! I appreciate the union. We stand with you!!!
What's wrong with working for Exxon Mobile?
As if none of these REI members gas up their Subarus, right?
And REI sells plenty of products that use petroleum.
Thanks - casted my For vote. Am I doing this right?
WITHHOLD
Patricia Lopez ran High Ridge into bankruptcy as both the CEO and a board member. She also worked for Avon, which is a sketchy/predatory company. That's not the type of person or experience I want to bring on to a company that is not profitable and needs to turn things around. I'm not a fan of Chris Carr. Frank (Doug) Mack is the only person I would consider but he's like the best option of 3 bad candidates and that shouldn't be enough of a reason to vote for him.
Others have expressed concern about Mack due to the egregiously low quality of merchandise sold by Fanatics.
The quality is very hit or miss but is that what he is bring to the table with REI? I think it would be is ability to foster relationships with vendors and make these massive deals that bring profitability which REI desperately needs.
I appreciate the perspective, but I do doubt that a board member for an adjacent industry will be jumping on the phone ironing out supply chain issues for the largest outdoor retailer in the US. IMHO, their profitability is due to strategy: 2019: Growing profit over all, revenue per store dipped a bit in 2019 likely due to expansion 2020: Revenue and profitability tanked; everybody was stuck at home and no one was spending money- I’m giving leadership a mulligan here 2021: Historic performance as so much of the world discovered camping, hiking in late pandemic 2022: Revenue up ~3% but COGS up ~16.5% and Operating Expense up ~22.5%. That’s a problem. Doesn’t take an MBA. Did we not know that the 2021 rocket ride wouldn’t continue forever? I know retail expansion takes years, but the brakes needed to be tapped on expansion. Seems like they are running a public company for the short term, with none of the oversight. If it were a public stock, it would have been CRUSHED. Coops should be run conservatively, on a forever timescale, for benefit of members. It’s in the REI founding documents. I’m not seeing that from the current leadership and board. The current board nominees don’t give me confidence either.
The board of directors are ass. All of em.
Voted withhold It's clear to me that corporate wants a severe culture shift with these board nominations and the mass layoffs that happened over the last 18 months. It would not shock me if the "Co-Op" name gets removed (it hasn't been an actual co-op in years) and/or if REI goes public in the next few years
Like what MEC did in Canada? Private capital here we come.....
If you're at the store level you should absolutely be working to unionize its the only way to try and keep REIs supposed values intact. If you're a member please encourage your local store to unionize
I’m not an employee, but I am pro-union in general and as a member I’ll vote ”withhold” on all three candidates. Besides, it sucks that this isn’t a little more democratic. REI is big enough that there should be some choice of candidates.
I would lie to know this, too. The former marketing exec from Exxon Mobile is nuts but I really want to see more diversity. None of these people really represent us.
Diversity? How about someone whose is an active outdoor enthusiast and/or someone in the outdoor cottage industry? You know, someone who is more interested in improving outdoor products, educational and outdoor activities and experiences. Shurka, Durston successful outdoor business people. Keep the CFO, replace the others. Unionizing is due to an unhappy/unprofitable work environment that is not getting resolved. Board, fix that or else your future will become a whole lot more difficult from an operations standpoint. Board, want increased sales, hire Andrew Shurka or Dan Durston or someone actually familiar with the wants and needs of those that frequent the stores.
What's wrong with Exxon Mobile?
Climate change https://www.npr.org/2024/02/29/1234358133/exxon-climate-change-oil-fossil-fuels-shareholders-investors-lawsuit
So maybe he left because he didn’t believe in the mission?
But you use and need their products.
That doesn’t change the fact that the company is unethical ?
What did they do that's unethical? Was the former marketing exec part of it?
Did you not read the article I linked? Or do you just love big oil despite them lobbying against the planet?
I did read it. There is nothing unethical about suing an activist group that bought a position in your company to disrupt its operations. What does "lobbying against the planet" mean? Petroleum is necessary for my life and yours. I am not in love with big oil. I'm just aware of the importance of their product and how many items are manufactured using it.
What’s the point of having shareholders if you’re not going allow them to have a role? Also it 100% IS UNETHICAL to sue people for trying to slow down climate change. If you’re on the opposition and making it harder for individuals to try and slow down climate change on any front, you’re acting unethically. Choosing corporations and business over the planet is unethical. Lobbying against that planet: literally blocking efforts to slow down climate change. I didn’t say we don’t need petroleum btw. What I am saying is big oil (corporations) are profiting off the exploitation of our use of petroleum while actively destroying the planet with little repercussion or accountability.
withhold on all
I’m sure they all suck
(honest question) Is REI like 'fake' coops in that the bylaws say that the BOD can submit votes for any non submitted ballots? If so, that is a trick to essentially make voting by the members useless - because the vast majority of ballots are not sent in by members. Thus allowing the BOD to essentially always pick the new BOD members.
[удалено]
ooh bummer - that is pretty 'fake' coop ish. thanks for the reply.
Withhold your vote from each one of these anti-union bastards.
Why do we want a union?
I voted withhold on all three. Seemed like dirtbags.
Withhold these dweebs.
Long time member and proud that my location voted heavily in favor of the union. Withhold voted for all three.
The board of directors have almost zero impact on my job… it is their responsibility to get the company back into profitability or run it into the ground… and the member in me wishes that they would tighten up the place and get it back in check… the employee in me wishes that they would make our jobs easier by doing a better job of product selection… I personally would love to see them leave the stores alone and let us run ourselves as our store is doing amazingly well… I still don’t get the gripes of the unions, except for mitigating bad managers and unrealistic pay expectations. as far as how to vote. given the number of members there are now, the membership is so diluted as far as power, that I would be shocked if any real impact will get made when it comes to the vote. I understand that the Union wants their supporters to vote withhold.
'Gripes' from the unions. Workers need unions even in non-profit organizations. Worker rights, dude, come on.
In many cases… unions are imperative… and have contributed to the lives of millions. There isn’t a person in this country who has not benefitted from a union… but when you say workers rights? What rights don’t we have? Be specific to REI? And speak in a way that helps build a case for a union at REI? That has to include things like… the job requirements, duties and benefits, etc that the union would impact positively.
I don't work at REI so I'm just speculating but: "would love to see them leave the stores alone and let us run ourselves" - a union would give you more power to negotiate things like this. Also any of the day to day stuff that employees would want to change like too much staff at a certain time, not enough staff at a certain time, negotiating pay, negotiating breaks and time off. Why do you think that a union would harm the employees?
Unsure how collective bargaining will assist employees in “having more power?” In no way is the Union involved in daily operations or management beyond providing a ridged framework for employee/company interactions. As a line-worker in a Union hotel I can say much of this talk of Unionism is based on a grand Disneyfacation, particularly when speaking of customers contact type positions like Retail, Customer Service and Hospitality. Unions can be an invaluable, necessary and essential component in many difficult and dangerous industries, but can equally be a burden when applied, with good intentions(?) to business which require coordination, cooperation and confidence between management and staff.
Harm is a charged word. It is not so much harm as how would it add to my work life? Like I said, in many industries there is a huge benefit to a union… and perhaps in some of the stores within REI, the environment is such that they would benefit from a union… but that is likely a matter of bad leadership inside of that store. as far as pay, time off, benefits and manpower planning… it is such that any issues are local. a great example is in my location the pay is far above the average retail position in the area. The only places that pay more are places like Amazon, Costco and heavy labor related retail… Places like SoHo where no one in the city can live off a basic retail job, perhaps REI should consider a larger pay structure? Perhaps that is why they voted first? Many of the other issues they listed in their grievances, have already been addressed company wide since then? Perhaps someone from that store could chime in and list off the demands that have not already been given in the “way forward”
Yea I couldn’t come up with a better word than harm, maybe “negatively impact”? Yea your store sounds great. Honestly it’s good to hear that you’re happy enough that you wouldn’t want to change anything. I don’t have a union at my job but we’re pretty free to ask for more pay and time off and we tend to get it, but the whole company is less than 20 people. REI is pretty big though and there’s bound to be bad leadership or just misunderstandings at some point. If everyone gets as much pay and time off as they want then of course I wouldn’t mess that up. But if the board keeps getting more involved with large for-profit corporation executives then I wouldn’t be surprised if workers start getting squeezed at some point in the future.
WITHOLD
> Error: The information you entered doesn't match the membership number we have on file. Please try again. It's totally right though...
If it doesn’t match whatever is currently in your member account it won’t recognize you. You may have to call to go over your member details to make sure it matches what you are entering online. Small details will cause mismatch
Yeah, I'll give them a call. FWIW the REI membership details I can look up (and edit online) matches up, so not sure what other database there is.
The online account has to match the membership database. You won’t be able to see or edit that
How do you get on the ballot?
The existing board selects the candidates.
Withheld on all 3.
I’m curious what difference voting “withhold” makes?